Military Sea Hawkers

The military chapter of the official booster club of the Seattle Seahawks

Seahawks Military Appreciation Activities for November 11, 2012

Seahawks Communications — The Seattle Seahawks announced all the game day activities in honor of Veterans Day during the Seahawks versus Jets game on November 11. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Touchdown City opens at 10 a.m. and gates open at 11 a.m.

The team, in conjunction with USAA, the Official Military Appreciation Sponsor of the NFL, will stage a 52,500 person card in conjunction with the national anthem. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to ensure they’re in their seats in order to turn CenturyLink Field into an oversize U.S. flag and “thank you” card for veterans and active-duty military.

The Seattle Seahawks “Salute to Service” web site has officially launched with great success. Now, military service members, Veterans and their families can upload their Seattle Seahawks military pictures while on deployments or stateside.

3rd Quarter USAA Salute to Service Shout-out from a deployed service member to his family on the field.

Coin Toss; Dylan Nicolau, age 10, and his dad is currently serving in the military.

The national anthem will be performed by Sarah Reasner, Musician Third Class Sarah Reasner hails from Palmer, Alaska where she began to sing publically in her local church at age five. She attended the University of Idaho before joining the Navy Music Program in 2005, and has spent the past six years touring the world as a musical ambassador for the United States Navy.

Scheduled to raise the 12th MAN Flag is Ferndale native Joe Moser. Joe was a P-38 fighter pilot in WWII who was shot down during his 44th mission over France. He was imprisoned in the Buchenwald Concentration Camp, where he was supposed to have been executed. He survived and is featured in an award winning documentary the ‘Lost Airmen of Buchenwald’.

Erin M. Schaefer, SGT. Retired U.S. Army, Wounded Warrior will lead the team out of the tunnel. SGT Schaefer has 11 years active duty with the United States Army and is a graduate of Kamiak High School in Mukilteo. His prothetics are designed with the Seattle Seahawks logos.

The team will wear stickers on their helmets in honor of all branches of services, U.S. Army, U.S. Marines, U.S. Navy, U.S. Airforce, and U.S. Coast Guard. The Seattle Seahawks and USAA salute and highlight the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division – Raiders for their commitment to serve our nation. They are stationed out of Joint Base Lewis McChord.

WWII, Chuck Meacham now 87, volunteered for the Marine Corps. in 1943 at age 17. Once a Marine, he volunteered for the Marine Raider Special Forces unit. Chuck spent 24 consecutive months in the South Pacific engaging in combat on Bougainville, Emirau, Guam, & Okinawa, which included first wave landings, numerous reconnaissance missions within Japanese held territory and a rubber boat landing behind the Japanese lines.

Korean War: Wayne Larson, Gunnery Sergeant Wayne Larson served in the United States Marine Corps from 1946 to 1959. During the Korean War, Gunnery Sergeant Larson was involved in 3 campaigns: the Battle of Inchon, Seoul, and the Chosin Reservoir. In each campaign his unit received the Presidential Unit Citation for heroism in action.

Vietnam War: Ken Christophersen, a graduate from Lincoln High school served during Vietnam as Sergeant in the 11th Armored Cavalry, was awarded the Purple Heart and to this day has shrapnel in his body from enemy mortar shell. Ken is also the Senior Vice Commander for Veterans Foreign War Post 3348.

Gulf War: Timothy Brice, served in the Army from January 1987 to September 2008. Served in many duty locations within the U.S. Served 20 years in the U.S. Army. Deployed to the Persian Gulf in August 1990, with the 24th Infantry Division, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Battalion 15th Infantry Regiment as a mechanized Infantryman in a Bradley Fighting Vehicle. During Desert Shield and Storm, he served as an Infantry Squad Team Leader and was involved in combat operation inside Iraq.

Operation Enduring/Iraqi Freedom: Lisa Allen joined the US Army 1987 and retired in 2007. Worked as a Mental Health Technician, served within the U.S and finally Joint Base Lewis McChord. Overseas tours included Korea, Germany, and Egypt. In 2003 deployed with 64th Forward Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, and 4th Infantry Division.

Seattle Seahawks plan on highlighting our team affiliation with the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team 2nd Infantry with a 60-second video that will play on Hawk vision.

Blue Thunder will host 8 guest drummers from The First Corps Band, “The heartbeat of America’s Corps.” This Joint Base Lewis McChord band formed in 1991 and performs more than 600 missions annually.

The Seattle Seahawks will be hosting 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) Group Service Support Company/Group Support Battalion. Soldiers from Joint Base Lewis McChord will visit the Virginia Mason Athletic Center throughout the month, leading up to Military Appreciation Game. The soldiers will be preparing and serving lunch to the Seahawks coaches, players and staff. Many of these soldiers are looking to follow their path in the culinary arts career.

Seattle Seahawks have partnered with Cell Phones for Soldiers® to support mobile phone collection efforts that benefit military personnel stationed around the world. Seahawks fans are asked to bring their used, unwanted cell phones to the “Salute to Service” game on Sunday, Nov. 11. Proceeds from the collection and recycling of donated cell phones are used to purchase prepaid calling cards for deployed troops allowing them to hear their loved ones’ voices for FREE. Each cell phone is one 60 minute calling card.

Washington Army National Guard Halftime re-enlistment for 10 soldiers from Camp Murray.

Sea Gals Halftime dance will be a Tribute to our Troops.

Honor the five branches of service and the Prisoner of War as well.

Washington Army National Guard will have a Howitzer Tank on display in Touchdown City. Fans will be able tour and look at this tank

A Remembrance Tribute display will be on the North Plaza stairs for those service members who are gone but not forgotten.

For every point scored during the 32 Salute to Service games (one at each club), the NFL will donate $100 to each of its core, military non-profit partners – the Pat Tillman Foundation, USO and Wounded Warrior Project ($300 total per point scored) The league anticipates donating between $400,000-500,000 through this program The National Football League Foundation.

Seattle Seahawks players, Red Bryant has donated 10 tickets to the Fisher House in Seattle, WA which serves Veterans of all era and Brandon Mebane donated 10 tickets to the Fisher House on Joint Base Lewis McChord which serves Active Duty service members. The program recognizes the special sacrifices of our men and women in uniform and the hardships of military service by meeting a humanitarian need beyond that normally provided by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.